Satellite images showing objects floating in the Indian Ocean have focused the search for Malaysian Airlines flight 370 and the 239 people who were on board to an area about 1,500 miles southwest of Perth, Australia.
This is, in the words of acting Malaysian transport minister Hishammuddin Hussien, the first "credible lead" since the plane disappeared on March 8 while on what was supposed to be a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The Mystery Of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
Take a drive around the perimeter of Colby Frey's farm in Nevada and it's clear you're kind of on an island — an oasis of green surrounded by a big, dusty desert.
Nearby, a neighbor's farm has recently gone under. And weeds have taken over an abandoned farmhouse in the next property over.
"It's just kind of sad, because it seems like it's kind of slowly creeping towards us," says Frey, a fifth-generation farmer trying to adapt to the current drought in California and in the far West.
The Salt
Drought Could Dry Up Nevada Dairy Farmers' Expansion Plans
A year-long review of the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner," which experienced problems such as fuel leaks and a battery fire, has concluded that the plane is safe.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported Wednesday that a review team believes "the aircraft was soundly designed, met its intended safety level, and that the manufacturer and the FAA had effective processes in place to identify and correct issues that emerged before and after certification."
Reuters recaps the jet's recent history and the reason it was given extra scrutiny:
"The review was initiated after a battery fire occurred aboard a 787 in January 2013 at Boston's Logan International Airport. The fire and another battery incident in Japan prompted regulators to ground the plane for 3 1/2 months last year. The plane has also suffered a series of mishaps with brakes, fuel lines, electrical panels, hydraulics, and other systems."
"One of the largest fines ever imposed on an auto maker" will be announced Wednesday morning, The Wall Street Journal writes.
Attorney Gen. Eric Holder and other federal officials are expected to say that Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to pay about $1.2 billion to "end a criminal probe into its disclosure of safety issues," the Journal reports.
Holder, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara are due to hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. ET.
As Bloomberg News says, the settlement will end "a U.S. criminal probe. ... Toyota recalled more than 10 million vehicles worldwide in 2009 and 2010 following complaints of sudden, unintended acceleration. ... The probe examined whether Toyota made false or incomplete disclosures to regulators about defects in its cars, and how it handled drivers' complaints."
This is not the first large payout related to the sudden acceleration issue that Toyota has agreed to make.
The Associated Press notes that:
"From 2010 through 2012, Toyota Motor Corp. paid fines totaling more than $66 million for delays in reporting unintended acceleration problems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration never found defects in electronics or software in Toyota cars, which had been targeted as a possible cause by many, including some experts."